Single adaptor or stack?

[tedd]

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Hi team,

I've got an M-adaptor-T that lives perpetually on my SL but now I've got some R glass I've been wondering about my adaptors. I currently use a cheap $30 R to M adaptor but figure I should probably get something better just to make sure I'm getting the most out of my lenses. 

Should I get a Novoflex R to M (coded) to make use of the in-built lens profiles and conveniently leave the M-adaptor-T stuck to the camera where I won't lose it or am I better off putting the Leica adaptor safely away and getting a Novoflex R to L? Locally these cost $279 for the R to M or $220 for the R to L, so much of a muchness. 

My current R lenses are a 50mm Lux (on the chopping block as I prefer my M-mount Cron), 80mm Lux and 180mm Elmar. I don't intend to get any more at this end, though I *may* at some stage upgrade my 20mm Nikkor 3.5 (with cheap F to M adaptor) with a 19mm Elmarit. 

Thoughts appreciated! And if my current super cheapies are just as good then that's a bonus. 

Thanks!

[AZN]

This topic has been covered often here - search and ye shall find 😃

Having said that, I have (all Leica) R→M, M→L and R→L.  They all have their uses, depending on which lenses I'm taking.

The stacked approach does have a couple of downsides: won't read ROM R lenses (so no auto identification) and, for some R lenses, there can be vignetting.  You don't get this with the R→L adapter.  Which lenses?  See the end of the first line above…

Edited January 20, 2021 by AZN

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[BernardC]

5 hours ago, AZN said:

for some R lenses, there can be vignetting.

Vignetting is most likely to happen with longer lenses, so check with your 180.

Other than that, the choice comes down to budget and convenience. Changing lenses can be a bit of a pain, the adapter you need might be on a different lens, so you have to dig through your bag.

The Leica R-L adapter reads ROM information, so that's a plus if you have those. However, I think that it doesn't work with some early lenses interfere with the ROM contacts. The Novoflex adapter may be better for those (if you have them).

The ultimate solution for me was to keep one adapter on the camera at all times (making it an M camera, in your case), and to make sure that all of your lenses use that mount, whether natively or via an adapter. In other words, if you have 2 R lenses, and a bunch of Ms, get 2 R-M adapters. That way any lens you grab will mount straight onto the camera without doing an adapter dance. As I said earlier, it's for convenience, not because it improve imaging performance.

[frame-it]

i use the R>M + M>T on my SL with the elmarit - R 180..no issues.